Hidden Rings Of Strength
by SaxyLady
Summary: The 8 year old daughter of Lightning/Sally gets taken by a crew of jealious thugs, causing Alice/Quinn's son to get caught up with the kidnapping. With the son struggling with problems of his own, will both make it out in one piece? T Rating to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**Hidden Rings of Strength**

_**Chapter one: The Wrong Side of Fate**_

"Quinn… Quinn!" She yelled at him breathlessly, as she gripped the sides of their home, barely having the strength to keep standing. Her insides were constricting and contracting from the slightly overdue life moving inside of her, causing weakness inside the carrier. "Quinn you gotta get up!" she panted, crying from the kitchen. Suddenly she winced, gritting her teeth, as another contraction came rippling through her. A random moan escaped from her tightly shut jaw. Sweat beating, and running down her body, "Quinn…" she weakly repeated. She knew she was due sometime, she knew the contractions would start, but this was happening rather quickly. Waking out of a sound sleep to a sharp pain, then finding herself having full blown contractions within seconds back to back. "QUINN!" She half screamed as another ripple of pain went through her.

A deep red Dodge appeared from the doorway, his eyes wide as he found his wife on the floor gasping and panting. Before he had the process of what was going on, water oozed on the floor… Causing his heart, his oil pump, to skip a few beats…. "Y-Your in labor?" he asked dumbfounded.

She looked over at her husband and laughed, "NO! I'm screaming my head off, hunched over like this because I thought it'll be funny…. WHAT DO YOU THINK!" She hunched over again, moaning rather loudly, "GET DOC."

Feeding off of her emotions, panic sank in deep within the Dodge, "Oh my! Oh my! Baby time… Oh my!" He rolled to the door… then rolled back to her… then rolled to the door… completely confused on what to do. "Alice…"

"JUST GO GET DOC!"

He jumped at the sound of her voice, "ALRIGHT!" he shouted in shock as he raced out of the door.

"Oh my, Baby's coming … baby's coming…" He paused as he got hit with reality…. "I'm gunna be a father!" …. He paused as he let the thought sink further and further into his subconscious…. "Oh geez… oh my… oh geez…" he raced over to the clinic and pounded on the locked clinic doors, "DOC!" Wham Wham Wham "DOC!"

The sliding of the lock of the other side of the door sounded causing Quinn to back up a few feet, "Quinn?" A dark almost black, blue Chrysler 300 showed up in the door way, trying to blink away sleep from her eyes. "What's going on? Everyone okay?"

He normally would of said a very well, educated sentence stating the situation in full detail, however what blurted out of him was "BABY'S COMING!"

Her eyes widened at the news of her daughter going into labor. "Oh my… oh MY!" She rolled back shutting the doors behind her, but still letting her words getting heard from the other side of the door."Hudson… Hudson. Wake up sweetie. Alice is going into labor."

"huh?... what's going on..?" a groggy gravelly voice sounded in the room.

"Alice has gone into labor."

There were grunting noises sounding from the other end of the room, and a bit of creaking noises heard from a stiff body… "We should have some time…." Came from the half asleep voice. "This is their first baby…."

Quinn felt something inside him tug hard. Some sort of knowledge that proved the doctor wrong. That tug wound up pulling him right in to the clinic, "No… she's in full time labor. We gotta hurry!"

The 300 stood in the other door way to the office, where the old Hudson Hornet sat behind his desk. Knowing him, he probably was working most of the night with little unimportant things and ended up falling asleep behind his desk again.

"Quinn, I understand, you're a first time father, your emotions are a little high…" the Hornet spoke calmly as he pulled away from his desk with a medical bag in tow, "But you can't just expect that once she's in labor she'll have the baby on the spot. It usually takes hours and hours for the baby to be delivered."

He rolled into the clinic, sliding a few drawers open, looking for some things for his bag. "The contractions have to be about 5 minutes apart before we really have to worry."

Doctor Hudson drew up a few cloths from the spare drawer and gently placed it in his bag…. "Then again, if the water breaks we have to worry about infection, contractions or not, she'll have to come in as soon as possible."

Quinn blinked slowly…. "But…."

Doc waved at the Chrysler "Kendal can you get the clamps, I must of left them in the other drawer while I was cleaning the place."

Kendal opened the drawer nearest hers, and took out a few clamps, "Quinn, it's just the nerves of being a first time dad getting to you. Just take a few deep breaths and relax."

Quinn looked at both of them seeming so nonchalant about the birth of his child, made him panic even more… " but, Mr. and Mrs. Hornet! PLEASE I beg of you! There… there is water all over the floor and she hunched over and gasping for air, I just beg of you PLEASE come quickly…"

The older couple paused, and looked at each other with alerted eyes. "Water?"

"Yes... very much so, all over the kitchen floor!"

The sudden news of water on the floor caused both of them to hustle in stride, "Kendal, I'm gunna go check on her, do you mind finishing the bag packing?"

"Yeah, sure, I got it." Kendal said taking his bag and packing it furiously.

The Doctor went right by Quinn, "Well? Weren't ya in a hurry to get me? Come on, Daddy-to-be, lets get a move on."

With that Quinn was right on his tail, following the doctors unusually fast pace right to the house where he and his wife live.

Just as he pushed past the door, there was a loud scream of his poor hurting wife. He shut his eyes, feeling the tears running down his face…. He loved that they were having a baby together, but the pain that she was in…. the fear that he had within him…. I mean…

… that's how his mother died…. Giving birth to his sister that never made it….

The possible thought of her passing away with his child, caused more tears to run down his face, causing his tires to shake…. _'what if something is wrong..' _…. _'what if I have to choose to save either her or the baby….?'_ … _'what would I do without them…?' _… _' would I be able to make it through life…?'_…. _' would I be broken hearted like my Dad?'_

Kendal pushed open the door, catching a glimpse of her son-in-law weak with emotion. "Oh honey… it's alright," she said as she tenderly rubbed his side, comfortingly, "You'll be so overjoyed when the baby is born. You'll forget about all the pain and suffering on the way up to the point where you hold that little one in your arms."

"Kendal? Is that you?" Doc called from the kitchen, "I could really use your help, it's going to be a little more complicated then we have thought…."

Quinn's face paled at the one word of… "C-Complicated?"

Kendal swallowed slightly, but her eyes were still kind and caring, "Don't worry, it's probably nothing serious. Who said giving birth was a stroll in the park?"

She patted the side of his face, "She'll be fine, she's my daughter after all."

And with that, she moved right into the kitchen out of Quinn's sight. He found himself rolling forwarded to take a peak around the corner, finding his wife on.. the floor .. with… and.. the…

A numb tingling sensation trailed down his spine as one moment he was looking at his wife… and the next he was looking at completely darkness….

. . . . .

….. he found himself opening his eyes to the tiled floor of their walk way…. Resting very oddly on the ground…. What happened? Did he just pass out? His wife… Alice? Is she okay? What about the baby?

He looked around the corner again, a little more cautious then last time… finding himself more listening then watching…

"Alice, you have to push HARD." Doc raised his voice over her loud moaning, "I know you're tired, but the baby is in an odd position which is going to make it difficult…"

"I can't do this!" She gasped, "I can't.. No.. No way…"

"Honey you HAVE too." Kendal chimed in "You don't want the baby in this critical position for long. You have to dig deep!"

"I can't I can't.."

"YES you can!" The mother shouted at her daughter… "You have too! now PUSH!"

Alice's moaning and groaning turned into almost shrieking as Kendal counted the long ten second push…

Quinn looked back over at the scene, and found… a bunch of…. Things…. Just…. Sticking out…..and…..

He started to feel that tingly sensation again causing him to slowly start to lose his sight….

He quickly back up out of sight of the scene, feeling himself starting to regain his sight back. It was bad enough that he passed out… but twice? Nah ah! NOT going to happen….

He focused on a wall, trying to focus on the spot beyond the screaming of his wife….

Then… there was a strange quietness…

He heard his wife panting, gasping for breath. The sound of tires scrambling around… the sound of towels rubbing and wiping…

"It's a boy…" Doc whispered….

Kendal became uneasy and the quietness of the room, "Why isn't he crying…? Can he breathe alright?"

"not sure… I need to take him to the clinic…. There is not enough light for me to see what's going on…"

Quinn's could hear his heart pounding with fear… as Doc whizzed past him with a bundle of blankets in his grasp….

"I-Is he alright?" Quinn asked frantically pulling into the make shift birthing room… finding his wife, a little more collected, but very exhausted, and his mother-in-law, taking care of Alice….

"We… don't know.. that's why Doc left to go check to see what is wrong…." Kendal spoke softly and evenly, "It could be something simple as a little fluid in the airways, or maybe the baby's not a crier… you never know, but it doesn't help thinking the worst…"

Quinn swallowed hard, as he could feel his face paling slowly….

"Quinn…" Alice whispered weakly… "We still have to come up with a name."

Quinn paused… trying to keep the positive thought on his son…. "ah… right… Well…. There is Ezra… and Vance….."

Alice blinked oddly at the odd sounds of those names… "Well… those are… different names…."

"Well…. I wouldn't say Quinn is normal." He lightly laughed, getting a weak laugh out of his wife….

"I feel like I have a name for him…." she whispered softly… "someone that we know…."

Quinn looked at his tired wife with soft, loving eyes, softly kissing her fender affectionately. "Someone we know..?"… He paused for a long time… "we are NOT having a Mater…."

Alice laughed again, this time a little stronger, causing the Dodges heart to melt…. Oh how good it was to hear her laugh again….

"No no…. a while ago…. " She paused for a long time…. "I kind of liked his name…. Azure… Al… A something…."

Quinn could feel his expression become confused…. "The…. Jeweler guy Alex?"

Her eyes quickly lit up at that, "YES, that's him, Alexander."

"You want his name to be Alexander?" her spoke softly, nuzzling her tenderly, missing the touch of her….

"Maybe not… Alex…. But I like the xander part of it…"

Quinn smiled, "Zander with a Z or Xander with an X?" he chuckled warmly.

She paused for a while…. "Well… Xander with an x is pretty different I think…."

"Oh! Xander is a nice name." Kendal jumped in , picking up a few tools and utensils… "Xander David sound kind of nice together…."

Alice smiled, and looked up at Quinn, "What do you think?... Xander David Comenetto?"

Quinn chuckled, "I think David is always a good middle name for a boy…"

…. And with that… there was a bit of a silence in the room….. now having a newly named baby….. it was … just a waiting game of his health…

"Do… Do you think that…." Alice started… as she looked up at her mother, "That… it might have to do with me and Quinn both having gifts…?" she whispered softly…. "I mean…. Has that ever happened before….?"

Kendal rested in thought…. Thinking about her bloodline… "Well… Not really… I recall some gifts actually skipping a generation… but .. never anything similar to this…."

Quinn and Alice's faces weakened…. "Maybe the two powerful bloodlines were too much for the poor little guy…." He whispered softly….

For a time, everyone around the room, just sat with heavy hearts of the possibilities….. Could a child from two gifted parents even have powers?... or… can they even survive….?

"At this point…." He whispered…. "I don't care what's wrong…. I just want the little guy to make it….he doesn't have to have a gift, or doesn't have to be perfect…. I just wanna hold him and love him as my own…." He felt tears running down his face, but he didn't care…. It was as true as the time when he said I do at the altar with her…

Kendal gave a soft sigh, "well for better or for worse we-…"

The door opened… causing all of them to grow very quiet…

In rolls in the Doctor, still holding the bundle of blankets in his tires….. "He's breathing fine." He whispered softly… " His airways are clear, he's of healthy weight, and for the most part is functioning fine…."

Quinn gave a huge sigh, "Oh thank the Lord.." he said, as he quietly rolled over to the Doctor…. "Can… Can I hold him…?" He asked gently…

The Hudson smiled a weak smile "He's your son… of course you can." The Hudson's tired slowly passed the wrapped up bundle of blankets to the Daddy….

Quinn looked at his son softly sleeping in his embrace, His Autumn leaf orange paint stood out from the off white blankets, a little brand new Mustang Boss….. "Oh my…" He whispered…. "Another Mustang…." His chuckle was broken as he felt the tears of joy building up in his eyes ….. "He's gunna be a spunky one like his Momma…"

Alice warmly chuckled as she looked at her son for the first time, "My little Xander is going to make Quinn go nuts."

She gently touched the little one, causing the baby to open his eyes…. Ice…. Ice blue, so light blue it was almost white….the center of his eyes, had a starburst of a soft brown…. A type of blue hazel…..

The Hudson Hornet became very uneasy as he left the two caress and love their new baby, Which quickly was picked up on by Kendal. "How is he…?" she asked concerned

The Hudson took a moment, then looked over at his wife…. "He's healthy and strong…" His eyes lowered right to the ground….. "however…"

"However what…?" Kendal asked her eyes weakened tenfold… "What's wrong…?"

Doc looked over at the couple…. Then back at his wife…..

"Xander! Gotta get up." He heard his mothers sweet musical voice calling his name, causing him to wake up slowly. He leaned forward stretching out his tires, flexing them…

He felt himself yawn, letting the sleep escape from him. Another warm day. Another day to figure out what his little 8 year old self was going to do…

He slowly moved forward, feeling for the curtains, as he pulled them to the side, letting the bright warmth from the outside graze his hood…..

He opened his Ice Hazel eyes to see…

… nothing….


	2. Chapter 2

**Hidden Rings of Strength**

_**Chapter 2: hide and seek**_

He felt the gritty texture of his curtains in his tire, feeling the thin tinny tiny squares in the knitted fabric. It was course, that plastic feel of polyester. He believed at one time, his mother described it as being blue in hue… but… could never comprehend hues of anything. I mean, what's the purpose of color anyway? It doesn't make things function any less. and yet folk will fight over and over about hues. Colors are pointless.

He dropped his tire down to his concrete flooring. The flooring was so smooth, with random little holes every now and then from air bubbles in the liquid concrete. He's spent times just feeling this floor, plotting every inch of this room in his subconscious.

… Probably the only 'safe' place he has was his room…

He didn't even need to feel around his room, because he knew it inside and out. How many grooves where in the walls, how many holes were in the floor, where the end tables are located, his book being over 800 pages long…. Apparently the original book is about 300 pages. But it takes a lot of space to put it into Braille. He didn't get remotely close to finishing the book, the Braille was rather frustrating to him…

"Xander?"

He could hear her mother's voice bounce off the walls from outside of his room. Knowing which room was a little trickier, since it was slightly muffled, he's say it was in the living room than the kitchen. The kitchen tends to reflect more sound waves since the tiled floors acted like little bouncers. He found himself tugging his lips upward in what was known as a smile. _'The other folk would think I'm a super hero if they can read my thoughts just now.' _ He thought to himself.

He moved about 3 feet forward, and took a slight 40 degree angle to the left moving about a foot more, finding the door frame.

"Yes mom?" He spoke awfully loud to his sensitive ears.

He could hear tires rubbing on a soft turf coming from his right, the living room. "Hey Sweet Pea, we're going to go over to Flo's for breakfast. Is that alright?"

He felt his eye frames, his brows, come together in confusion… "It's not going to rain again, is it?" he said, still a little loud.

For the past few days it has been pouring. For most cars that's no problem, but for Xander, it's… a little more difficult.

His sense of direction is based on scents and sounds. But the rain, to him is like sensory overload. Every rain drop was like a gunshot to his hide. His airways would be filled a damp sent, his tires would feel more water than ground, and depending on how heavy the rain is, he's couldn't hear a thing.

For the past few days, he's been cooped up in his house, the sound of actually going outside made him, rather excited.

"Oh no, not at all." His mother rolled over to him, resting a tire on his side, letting him know that she's there, and placing a kiss on his fender. "The storm has passed on, and it's all sunny skies in the desert."

He clung on to her side, her comforting scent of vanilla washed over his hood. He loved his mother, the softness of her sides, her sent, her musical voice….

As both of them moved towards the door, his grip tightened on her, from this point on, He became dependent.

She looked down at her son as she made their way over to Flo's, His orange paint shining in the bright sun as his sightless Ice hazel looked around aimlessly. Oh how she wished he could find a way of getting around better on his own instead of gripping onto someone's side to get from place to place. It wasn't that she hated the fact that he was blind, she just hated how trapped he really was.

"Hey Alice!" Flo's voice sounded from the café ahead, "Long time no see!"

"Yeah." Alice said weakly, "You know how the weather can bother Xander…" She looked down at her son to find him trying to shy away behind her. "Xander, it's Flo, you should know Flo by now."

The little fall leaf Mustang peaked out from his hiding spot at her side, and looked in the general direction of Flo's voice with his sightless eyes. "Hi." He whispered extremely softly.

Flo's eyes softened, "Awww poor thing. He's still just as shy."

Alice smiled warmly as she stroked his side affectionately "He is rather shy."

Xander started feeling around, as he gripped onto the side of the fuel pumps… trying to explore…

The sandiness of the rough concrete along the pump lines…. The smell of fuel feeling his senses…

As he let go of his anchor…. He had no idea where he was going… Did his mother bring him on the left side? Or the right side? He always got confused from the two sides, It's either he's going to the other side of the fuel pumps or going to run into the clinic wall…again.

5 feet away…. 8 feet away…. As his fear build up, his speed slowed down…. Maybe he _was_ heading towards the clinic…. Oh my…

He turned around to head back to the café .. but, did he turn all the way around?... Was he facing the right direction? He had no idea…

Where was he?

He felt the sun beating on him from the left… so left was east…. But did he COME from the east? Why couldn't he figure out where he was?

"M-Mom?" he called… hoping she could hear him…

Why were they so quiet today? Usually he'd just follow voices… but it seemed like no one was talking today…. Ugh! How it infuriated him! Don't they realize how much he depended on their mindless chitchat?

"Mom!?" He called out louder… with no response…

Was it 8 feet? Or 8 yards?

He found himself backing up rather quickly into the unknown, when his bumper hit the side of something alive.

Xander leaped out of his paint, his oil pump POUNDING from the state of shock. Why didn't he notice someone was there…. and again, why where they so quiet?

"I'm sorry!" He found himself shouting, still full of panic, "I'm sorry I didn't know you were there!"

He stood there, listening with his sharp hearing…. Nothing…

"Hello?" he asked, Reaching around him, trying to feel….. Nothing….

The color from his face drained, he ran into something, he was sure of it! And there it was… gone.

"H-Hello!?" he half shouted, spooked.

Then the feeling of his nerves on end, that horrible feeling of being watched washed from his right side.

"BOO!"

His instincts kicked into flight mode as he just sprinted forward all over the place…

"Xander! Xander!"

His hearing picked up a comforting sound, as he sprinted towards his safety blanket…

He collided with the cars side, trembling into him, seeking comfort. The Familiar scent of the woods washed over him as he just clung on to him…. letting his fear be known as tears pooled in his eyes….

"Xander, what were you doing racing around like that?" his father's voice was thick with worry and concern as he quickly embraced his son, "You know that can very dangerous!" he nuzzled him, trying to comfort and ease his beloved child.. "What happened?"

"I d-don't know, " he voice shook… "I thought I hit someone a-and then it wasn't there, and I got scared… Daddy it's scary…" he coward into his father.

He hated feeling weak, but he couldn't help it sometimes…. This world really is scary.

"Nikki?" his father questioned, "Nikki! Get over here now!"

His father's body tensed up as Xander heard a mumbled "crap" under the young girls voice.

Xander closed his eyes… wishing he could see like his father….

Quinn clung onto his son, that gripped onto him with fright as his sugar brown eyes became stern at the little Ferrari Scaglietti that slowly rolled towards him…. "Nikki…" he started his voice low and stern, "Why were you scaring him…?"

She rolled her eyes, "I wasn't scaring him, I'm not the baby here…"

"Excuse me?" His voice was rather harsh suddenly, "The only one that was acting childish would be you. You should be ashamed of yourself! Picking on my son like that. You know he can't see… How would you like it if I put you in a dark room full of animals and spiders… would you be laughing at that?"

Nikki cringed… "N-No…" she said very weakly…."But…"

"No buts, you would be terrified if you have to live your life sightless!"

"Dad…"Xander weakly said, as he clung onto his side… "I'm not a weak, helpless pansy either … can you please stop…." He whispered rather weakly at his over protective Dad….

"Xander, I know you wanna sound like your invincible, but you're not... no one really is Xander. It's okay to admit you struggle…." His father eyed the young Scaglietti….. "Though it doesn't help that someone takes advantage of that…."

"What's going on Quinn…?" A hotshot Rookie pulled up alongside the Dodge and quickly caught eyes with the familiar red-violet Ferrari….. causing his eyes to narrow… "What did my daughter do this time….?"

Nikki gave a shameful grin seeing the 95 on the side of her fathers side…. "Hi Dad…"

The Dodge looked at the Racer, then at his offspring… "Your daughter was harassing my son, taking advantage of his blindness again…"

McQueen felt his sternness show in his sharp eyes….. "Nikki…." he lowly called her name…..

Nikki lowered herself…. "It was just a game…." She mumbled… "I didn't hurt him…"

"Nik, You KNOW better than this. How many times do we have to go through this?" McQueen huffed… "Do you really want me to get your mother involved with this?"

"No!" she randomly shouted.

McQueen slowly shook his hood…. "I'm sorry about this Quinn… "

"No problem," Quinn sighed to him… "Just want Xander to feel safe…"

Xander found himself giving a frustrated sigh… mumbling under his breath at his side….

"Hon?"

Quinn looked over at his wife… and found himself sighing again…. "Alice… why did you let Xander wander off again…?"

The Mustang looked at him puzzled…. "Hon, he's blind, not 2."

McQueen and Nikki found themselves quickly removing themselves from the situation before they found themselves more involved…

"I know he's not 2, but he could easily get himself hurt if he doesn't know where he's going…" The Dodge breathed under his breath….

"Quinn… Honey… You need to realize that Xander has to learn to branch off and figure things out on his own…" Alice looked at her Husband with weak eyes…. " We are not always going to be here to help him…"

Quinn found himself struggling with what was being said… "I.. I know… it's just…." He sighed heavily…. "It's a dangerous world already…. And he can't see it coming…" He said as he went to hold his son closer to him…..

…. He blinked…

Looking down, he found his side completely exposed with no little mustang alongside him…. "Xander?... Xander?!"

His fear grew in his gut tenfold, knowing that his son disappeared without him knowing….

"Stupid Dad! Stupid people! Stupid stupid stupid! UGH!" Xander found himself going down the asphalt, in a direction away from his parents, away from everyone else…..

"I'm SICK of it! I'm SICK of being just a child to them!" He snarled to whatever, if there was, someone around him… "They will NEVER listen to me! I can handle myself!"

His anger flared in his gut, causing him to drive a little faster to nothing.. at this point if he found a wall, he's gunna smash himself through it… or so he thought.

"He's blind, he's going to get hurt…. So what if I'm blind! Folk that ain't blind end up getting hurt anyway!"

Suddenly a pungent sent hit him, but before he can recognize the sent, his front ended got pushed back by a living being…

His sightless eyes widened in shock, and his heart jumped at his low gravelly voice, "Hey! What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm sorry!" He randomly shouted at whomever, the scent of clove…. He reached forward, touching the smooth sides…. Feeling something that felt like a hornet emblem….

"Xander…" His voice dropped at the realization of him… "What are you doing out here…?"

His mind flashed back to the audio recording of his father treating him like a child, rekindling the frustration he had….

"Something's got you all riled up boy." He spoke evenly.

"It's my stupid dad…" He ended up blurting out… "My father always treats me like a baby! He thinks I can't do anything without someone holding me…. Goodness… He thinks I would drown if I got a carwash so I have to get a sponge bath. I have to eat everything luke warm because he's afraid that since I can't see the steam I won't know it's hot!"

He found himself huffing, growling in frustration…..

He suddenly felt a tire on his shoulder causing him to jump.

"Your father and mother have been through a lot..." The Hornet gently said to him… "They want to prevent you from going through anything that they had to go through…."

Xander paused for a long time, then moved himself so that his side was facing the voice… "They had crazy parents too?"

He felt tension in the air, that and the Hornets breathing that caught in his throat.. "What?..." Xander asked….

"Xander… what have they told you about their family?"

The child felt himself shrug… "I know Nana … and Papa C…. .. Uncle Sky… You too, Poppy "

He can sense that he was smiling, since his tone of voice became warmer…. "Well, how can you remember me? Just a old… old… Ancient car…?"

Xander felt himself smiling, "You're not ancient! "

"Ohhh yes I am…" he lowly chuckled… "Maybe blindness is a good thing for you… You would of lost your sight by the sight of me!"

Xander felt himself being tugged slightly, the sign to move with them, as he matched his pace. He could feel that they were making their way back the way he came…. "No!" Xander said… "Poppy you're just crazy…"

"Well that too."

"Poppy!"

"What? YOU said it" he chuckled nudging him playfully.

"Well! You know what I mean! You're like the good crazy." Xander found himself smiling and chuckling… He always got along with his grandpa. He seemed, real.

"Just so you know, "The Hornet whispered at his side, "We're just about in town. Do you want to go to your parents?"

Xander sighed.. when his Poppy stopped in mid tracks…

"Well, lil' Missy. Where's your dad?"

"I… Wanted to talk to Xander…." Xander felt himself perk up at the sound of her voice…. Nikki.

"Xander eh…?" He felt seriousness in his face. "I don't know if he's up for that sort of thing as of this moment in time…"

Xander moved a few wheel turns forward, "It's alright…" He said to the side of him, then faced forward, "What going on…?" he asked….

With that, the air shifted around him, giving a light sent of clove… '_ Poppy must be giving us time to ourselves…'_ … that was one advantage of that ol' hornet… he never stuck around too long for things to be awkward.

"Xander, I didn't know I was scaring you…" She weakly said… "I'm sorry that I did…"

He felt his lip curl, the same reaction he feels his mother gets when she doesn't like something… "You're full of it.."

"Huh?" She protested, "I'm not faking it!"

"Yeah? Well someone must of talked to you into saying sorry to me." He felt himself snarl a little in frustration "That's all everyone does is 'feel sorry'… it's not sorry, it's pity." He pushed passed her , feeling the road paint with his tire, "Just leave me alone…"

"Xander!"

Suddenly the sound of tires whipped around him, forcing the air over his side…. "Xander stop! You don't have to be such a jerk!"

"I'm not a jerk! You're the fake one you faker! I ain't falling for that!"

"I. am not. Faking!" she practically yelled at him. "Xander, listen to me. I'm sorry, ok? Geez!"

"Yeah… whatever…" he huffed….

"Listen, you are my friend."

"Well maybe we're not friends anymore…" He shut his sightless eyes… "Look at me I'm Xander I can't see, lets just go a scare the crap out of him since he can't SEE me!" He opened his eyes, staring at a random point. "YEAH some friend you are…"

"No! that wasn't what I was doing!"

"Oh yeah? Then what were you doing….? "

"I was… Ah…."

There was a long pause…. He heard her breathing kind of shorten for a short time, her body shifting left to right. Why on earth was she uncomfortable…? "Well what? Just spit it out…"

"You know how Daddy is going to go on another racing trip right?" She said, on a not so deep breath..

"…. Yeah….?"

"I was… a… wondering if you wanted to come and watch the race with me…" She paused again.. "Oh no! I ah! I meant just go to the race! SORRY! You're blind!"

He felt his frustration boil… giving a heavy sigh…

"I want you to come with us.." she said again…

"Oh yeah?... so I can become totally deaf too from the sound of engines? Wow thanks for that…"

"Xander…. I didn't mean it like that…." She breathed….

"… I should get back into town…" he sighed… slowly going around her…. "I guess I'll go with you…"

She shifted oddly, "Oh, the town is like another 500 feet away… you should be able to find it yourself…"

"No…. I meant I will go with you to the race…" he felt his face kind of mellow out… "I gotta tell my parents about what's going on though… ok?"

"Oh!" her voice brightened, "Ok! Yeah! Sure!"

"Sure…" He felt a little excited about this, the thought of her and him, two goofballs just hanging out…. they haven't done that in a while… just had some time to hang out. He really liked hanging out with her…. when she wasn't teasing his blindness….

He really liked her.


End file.
